Mandy Pope

Budding Friendships combines a system, a programme, & a product, which work together to promote intergenerational friendships & meaningful social connections.

The concept was developed to make a positive step towards reducing loneliness in the elderly, in order to improve their mental health. Elderly people often lack in accessible social opportunities, partly due to common circumstances of age including retirement & declines in physical health. Because of this, thoughts of being alone & forgotten are common for elders, & those feelings are detrimental to their mental well-being.

Intergenerational friendships provide the opportunity for elderly people to socialise, without the need for familial relations, & without a double hit of practical challenges that are experienced with age. However, the idea of meeting new people, especially from a different age group, can seem difficult, daunting, & even unsafe for the elderly. This is why the Budding Friendships system makes use of safe spaces that people already go to - community centres such as retirement villages, churches, marae, & libraries.

Participants sign up for the programme through their chosen local community centre. There, they are sorted into pairs to socialise with. To support meaningful connections and reduce anxious feelings, the Budding Friendships Programme Sessions include the use of a product in the form of an Activity Pack as a guide.

This Activity Pack contains conversation-based prompts & games on both light-hearted & deeper levels. The pack itself is specifically designed for the elderly, accounting for physical difficulties that come with age. On top of that, the product is fun to complete, visually appealing, inexpensive, & environmentally sustainable in production & end of life.